‒ The most significant uncertainty in the IPCC's forecast of sea level changes is how much melting ice sheets contribute, especially the Antarctic ice sheets. Getting better control of this is important for society, especially for coastal communities, says Arjen Stroeven, professor of Physical Geography at Stockholm University and research leader for the MAGIC-DML project.

MAGIC-DML stands for Mapping, Measuring and Modeling Antarctic Geomorphology and Ice Change in Dronning Maud Land. It is an international collaboration with researchers from Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States. The common interest is to study variations in the thickness and dynamics of the Antarctic ice sheet.

‒ We are looking for answers to the question of how fast, and when, the surface of the ice sheet has changed in geological time. We test the hypothesis that ice grows on the plateau and melts along the edge where it meets the sea during global warming times (interglacials) and that it shrinks on the plateau but grows along the edge during global cold times (glacials). We can simulate this through computer models, but these models must be calibrated against knowledge from field studies. Such a "calibrated" computer model provides the best conditions for forecasting how Antarctica will develop in a warmer future climate.

A continuation of previous research

This year's expedition is linked to two previous expeditions within MAGIC-DML that were conducted in the 2016/17 and 2017/18 seasons. In addition to Arjen Stroeven, Jane Lund Andersen, Postdoc at Aarhus University in Denmark and Martim Mas e Braga, PhD student at Stockholm University, will also participate. Now the researchers will take additional samples in areas that were not visited before, but were already planned in 2016/17 and 2017/18.

‒ We will take samples of moving blocks and bedrock. By determining the age of these samples, we know when the ice was last so thick that it covered the rock or when it left the moving block behind.

The areas to be visited in Antarctica are Vestfjella, Kirwanveggen, Mannefallknausane and Heimefrontfjella. The three researchers will travel up to 300 km from the Wasa research station by snowmobile. Cooking and overnight take place in arks. This is the first time that Arjen Stroeven and his two colleagues live in these.

‒ The arks make overnight stays safer and more comfortable. We have heat and can cook, and charge the electronics indoors. Setting up camp and taking it down is faster, says Arjen Stroeven.

A long ark expedition

The researchers will be on the ice for about two months in rounds. Three people from the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat will also participate during the fieldwork, including a doctor.

‒ The longest tour lasts about 15 days and takes us to Mannefallknausane and Heimefrontfjella with a visit to the station Svea. We have also planned for eleven days in Kirwanveggen and six days in Vestfjella.

During the field course that the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat recently held at Abisko Scientific Research Station, the expedition participants received theoretical knowledge and practical training before their Antarctic stay.

‒ As a group, we must be very focused. Everyone has their role. It is a demanding environment with cold even though it is high summer then. There are dangers associated with cracks that arise through the movement of ice and rockfalls. Group dynamics and trust in each other will be very important components for safe implementation, Arjen Stroeven concludes.